DIGGING IN

a year ago

Federal Prosecutors Open Sex-Crimes Probe Into Weinstein

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened a probe into disgraced producer and Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein, attempting to determine whether he lured women to travel across state lines “for the purpose of committing a sex crime,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Local police forces have yet to press charges against Weinstein, who was accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of women. Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said that he spoke to federal prosecutors “in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding” and claimed he would continue to meet with them in the coming weeks. Federal prosecutors were already investigating Weinstein for “possible fraud connected to financial transactions” arranged at a charity auction, but expanded their scope to sex crimes “in recent months.” Under more normal circumstances, individual sexual-assault cases are handled by local police, with the feds handling cases like sex trafficking. Weinstein has denied any allegations of non-consensual sex.